Contribuições do ensino de ciências por investigação para a análise das potencialidades, dos desafios e dos impactos da inteligência artificial no mundo contemporâneo

Abstract

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), catalyzed by the diffusion of generative systems since 2022, not only broadens debates about its potential and risks, but also constitutes a rupture that demands the structural reconfiguration of educational systems. This article, based on a literature review with content analysis, investigates how Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) can contribute to the implications of AI in this new educational scenario. Articles published between 2022 and 2026 in qualified journals in the field of Science Education were analyzed, including articles and works recommended within the scope of academic supervision, as well as foundational theoretical references. The results indicate that: (1) Brazilian literature on AI and IBSE is incipient, with a scarcity of empirical studies; (2) AI can support investigative processes, but presents risks of technological dependence, conceptual inaccuracies, and the undermining of autonomy, which require intentionality in the design of inquiry-based instructional sequences and targeted teacher training; (3) Structural inequalities in Brazil make access to AI profoundly unequal; (4) It becomes evident that Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) constitutes an approach of recognized pedagogical strength, offering a consistent pathway for the formation of individuals capable of understanding and intervening, in a responsible and reflective manner, in a reality increasingly mediated by AI-based systems. It also prepares them to address highly complex problems and to operate effectively in contexts characterized by rapid technological and professional change. Furthermore, this study contributes to the field by systematizing different AI-based technologies that can be incorporated into educational settings and by discussing their potential, limitations, and possibilities for integration. In doing so, it challenges utilitarian perspectives and highlights the need for these technologies to be incorporated as tools that support educational processes rather than as substitutes for pedagogical mediation and human interaction. It is concluded that the critical integration of AI into Science teaching requires teacher education oriented toward Scientific Literacy (understood as a critical and reflective engagement with science), clear pedagogical guidelines and public policies that ensure equitable access, the implementation of training strategies aligned with teachers’ professional routines and the institutional conditions necessary for its effective implementation in schools. In this context, the need for greater coherence between teacher education policies, assessment practices, and the organization of pedagogical work was highlighted, as evidenced by the contradiction between federal initiatives and the institutional conditions that hinder their implementation. Furthermore, it is argued that the current landscape demands an openness to everything that lies between, beyond, and across disciplines. A transdisciplinary approach within the context of IBSE can contribute to awakening the profound reflections required by this moment, broadening the perception of what lies behind this technology and its parallels and implications for human development.